dregs

British  

/ drɛɡz /

plural noun

1. solid particles that tend to settle at the bottom of some liquids, such as wine or coffee

2. residue or remains

3. slang a despicable person

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Etymology

Origin of dregs

C14 dreg, from Old Norse dregg; compare Icelandic dreggjar dregs, Latin fracēs oil dregs

Explanation

Those little grains of tea or coffee left at the bottom of the cup are known as the dregs. The dregs are the least wanted portion, or the residue. Literally speaking, dregs refers to sediment at the bottom of a liquid such as tea, but figuratively you can use dregs to mean “a small amount left.” If you are running out of food in your refrigerator, you might say, “We’re down to the dregs in here.” Dregs is also used in the same way as the expression “bottom of the barrel.” The “dregs of society,” for instance, is a negative phrase that describes people whom the speaker considers to be useless.

Example Sentences

As she says, a noble use for the dregs of the nut bowl.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

Gomez’s sculpture thus becomes an important record of a precious moment: one in which the dregs of greed were laid bare for all to see.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Models suggest that the last dregs of the magma ocean crystallized into dense minerals including ilmenite, a mineral containing titanium and iron.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2024

When August rolls around, we’re down to the dregs.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 17, 2023

She turns it over, lets the dregs run down the sides, then she reads the markings.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez